What we learned when the Giants squandered Birdsong's solid start against the Brewers

What we learned as the Giants blew Birdsong's solid start against the Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

RESULT

SAN FRANCISCO — Perhaps the most exciting thing about Thursday's game at Oracle Park was seeing Giants loyal fans and partners Zee and Tony get engaged during the sixth-inning break. Other than that, it was a pretty tough game.

After their clear victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, the Giants looked lost on offense the next night as they lost the series 3-0.

Brewers right-handed starter Frankie Montas (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and Giants right-handed rookie starter Hayden Birdsong (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) made history with their electrifying command, making up for their teams' lackluster offense, which combined for nine hits.

The Giants' five-hit effort and their once-electric closer and now reliever Camilo Doval nullified Birdsong's rematch, and the Brewers' Jackson Chourio put his stamp on the game with a 372-foot home run in the eighth inning that sent San Francisco fans to bed early.

Here are three takeaways from the Giants' loss to the Brewers in the deciding game:

Birdsong's promising melody

Birdsong's dominant performance made up for his rocky start against the Brewers two weeks ago.

On August 29, the rookie allowed four hits, four walks and five earned runs in San Francisco's 6-0 loss at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

In Birdsong's return game on his home field, he allowed only three Brewers to reach base and lowered his ERA from 5.19 to 4.74. The rookie needed an efficient 68 pitches to do this, 46 of which were strikes.

Thursday also marked Birdsong's third career scoreless start. He pitched four scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Aug. 23 and five at home against the Colorado Rockies on July 27.

The 23-year-old looked sharp and snappy on a night when the Giants repeated their tired 72-75 record.

No offense

San Francisco scored 13 runs, collected 17 hits and three home runs and struck out six times on Wednesday.

The Giants were anything but remotely interested in that in Thursday's deciding game.

LaMonte Wade Jr. and Jerar Encarnacion led San Francisco with two trips to first base each. Curt Casali, Matt Chapman and Mark Canha also got in the game, but that was about all they wrote for the home team.

Milwaukee wasn't much better, struggling with the same offensive issues, but the Brewers' four total hits – and Chourio's brilliant two-run blast – were enough to get them past the Giants, who allowed just 15 strikeouts on the night.

Doval's problems continue

There was a time when the Giants expected Doval to come into a game and win it; there was even a light show at Oracle Park that matched the closer's aura.

But the 27-year-old was a shadow of his former self for much of the 2024 MLB season.

Doval's low point was compounded when he spoiled a scoreless tie with a wild pitch in the seventh inning. When Willy Adames reached home plate after the error, another loss was etched next to Doval's name.

Doval fell to 5-2 this season and his ERA dropped from 4.94 to 5.02.

He hasn't looked like the reliable reliever he has been for the past two years. And he certainly doesn't look like the cornerstone of the franchise that many thought he would be.

San Francisco's offense was nowhere to be seen, but Doval's 24-pitch seventh inning ended the Giants' night.

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